Brick-machine



WALDREN BEACH AND EPHRAIM LUKENS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

BRICK-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent N o. 2,101, dated May 22, 1841.

' To aZZ whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, VVALDREN BEACH and EPHRAIM LUKENS, of the city ofBaltimore and State of Maryland, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Mode of Pressing Brick, which is described asfollows, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part ofthe same.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the machine. Fig. 2, the cams in thebottom of the hopper. Fig. 3, rod, lever, and weight to increase thepressure of the pressing wheel. Fig. 4, section of the molding wheel,pistons and way. Fig. 5, knife, hinge and spring. Fig. 6, top view ofthe hopper, showing the cams, and apertures in one of the molds.

Similar letters in the separate figures refer to similar parts.

The foundation timbers of our machine are composed of one cross timber Aand two other timbers of like dimensions, at right angles thereto,supporting a bed piece Z1., of the uprights Z, Z, Z, Z, and anotherhorizontal timber A2 between the last two but extended in an oppositedirection. On the outer end of this last timber rises one of the pillarsK which supports the hopper B mentioned. On the outer end of the timberA is raised another pillar (which is hidden from view in the drawing itbeing behind the hopper) similar in height to the former mentioned, forthe same purpose, and about midway of t-he said timber A rises thestationary sha-ft S. From this timber A rise two small uprights M. Theyare each under the periphery of the horizontal wheel to be mentioned andresting on the bed piece, atan equal distance from the said stationaryshaft S. The hinder upright. (which is hidden from view in the drawing)has a roller attached to its upper end, on which rests the horizontalwheel, and moves over it during its operation. The nearest upright Macts as a support to the shaft of the band wheel to be mentioned. Thehopper B resembles in its outward appearance, a segment of a circle, ismade o-f wood or metal as may be desired, and is placed on one side, andover the horizontal wheel C, to be mentioned, and supported on thebefore mentioned pillar K as well as on the top of the stationary shaftS, near the bottom of this described hopper we have placed one, two, ormore cams F, Fig. 2, attached to a shaft H, Fig. 2, the same revolvingin the sides of the hopper. See Fig. 6. One end of each of the shaftsextends outside of the hopper suii'iciently to have a lever G, Fig. 2(and 6) wit-h a weight attached thereto for the purpose of givingetliciency to t-he cams aforesaid. Passing through each shaft by theside of the cam there is a knife I, Fig. 2, pointing downward to cut offthe clay to give the brick a proper width as it passes to the pressingroller. y

The horizontal wheel C for molding brick is to be made of iron, or anyother suitable materials, to be four feet in diameter, having thereintwelve molds more or less, each of the said molds Y, Fig. 1, having atthe bottom thereof a discharging piston p, Fig. A (which also serves asa botto-m for the brick to rest on) with a rod g, Fig. 4, which projectsbelow the said wheel a suitable dis-` tance for purposes hereinaftermentioned. The molds Y, Figs. l and 6, are about the size of the brickto be molded. From the bottom of each of the said molds below the saidpiston p, six or more apertures 1^, see Fig. 6, are pierced throughdownward into the atmosphere to allow air to escape, and to carry offany waste clay. To assist these operations we cut grooves from each holeto the other. The depth of these grooves is about one-fo-urth of aninch, more or less. See Fig. 6, where is shown a plan of the bottom ofthe mold as aforesaid. -On the under side of this horizontal wheel,between the molds and the stationary shaft S, is a mitered cogwheel W,Fig. 4, attached to and revolving with` said wheel. Between this wheeland the stationary shaft and concentric with the circumference o-f thehorizont-al wheel rises vthe. rim B to a suitable height for purposeshereinafter,'mentioned The horizontal wheel C with its rim R aforesaidmoves freely around the stationary shaft S. It is moved by means of thedriving shaft D, having on the end ythereof a mitered wheel, meshinginto the mitered wheel of the horizontal wheel. Close to the miteredwheel on the driving shaft D isa pulley wheel Q which is plain, andmoves independently of the other wheel, aroundthe said' shaft and actsas a support to the'pressure of the horizontal wheel. This driving shaftD can be set in operation by any well known means, either steam, orhorse power. The said shaft, revolves in proper journals placed inbo-Xes in the uprights Z, Z, Z, Z, over this shaft, and placed in boxesin a similar Sli `or other suitable material about 5 feet in height moreor less. They are placed in pairs, and far enough from each other tocontain the boxes of the shafts aforesaid. Cn the inside of eachupright, a square groove is cut from the top to the bottom (one of whichissues at Z3, marked Z1, in Fig. l). The pressing roller is kept in itsposition by means of an iron rod or strap, Z1: shown in the end view,Fig. 3, which passes over the top of the box belonging to it,

nearest to the roller aforesaid, and is extended down each groove Z1, Z2to a lever m below the floor. This arrangement allows thepressing rollerto rise or fall according to circumstances during the operation ofthemachine. The other boxes of each shaft are prevented from changingtheir places by any desired arrangement. Attached to j `one of theuprights Z2, is a knife f, tobe degauze scribedhereafter, moving as ahinge T between two boxes b b one above and the other below. These boxesare iixed to the said upright Z2. A screw U in the upper box lowers thehinge T and brings the knife close to the horizontal wheel C whenrequired, and when it is necessary to raise the knife f, the screw inthe lower box, is used which turns upward. Should any stones or gravelbe in the clay when it comes in the way of the knife, the knife isarranged `with a spring a, so that it can give way to it and be drawnback after the obstruction is passed.`

The duster F is of cylindrical form, is made of two circular pieces ofwood placed a foot more or less from each other and or any othersuitable material stretched between them, thus arranged is attached toashafts@ which moves in thestationary shaft S,paforesaid. The outer endof the said shaft rests in a support C, pro-- jecting from the outsideof the hopper.

`The duster F is placed adjacent the hopper,

and over the horizontal wheel C before mentioned. Attached to the shaftof the duster is a small roller or pulley W which is placed on the rim Rbefore mentioned, and as the horizontal `wheel moves around the rim R:moves the said roller or pulley, and thus put in use the duster.

. proper position by the operator.

upright leg (or shank 01,) of the l. has a ring (n Fig. 1,) which movesround the shaft S by hand whenrequired. The part a is extended inanopposite direction till it meets the hopper, where it is secured by anydesired arrangement, after being fixed in a The obj ect of this guide istoconduct the brick after it is finished pressing from the outside ofthe mold, off the horizontal wheel on to the band of the band wheels HH. The whole is to be made of metal or any other suitable material. Thehorizontal wheel C in its operation, moves by means of its cog wheel onits under side, a mitered wheel attached 4to a shaft belonging to theband wheel H. This shaft is supported on one of the short uprights M,before mentioned, and also by another upright M, outside of the saidband wheel. The band wheels H H are placed in a line tangent to thecircumference of the horizontal wheel C and the band is arranged nearthe molding wheel C to receive the brick, so as to carry it off wheredesired. They may be placed at any distance required from one another.

Under the pressing roller as above described, and rising on each sidethereof a suitable distance we place a box e which is supported in itsplace upon the uprights Z, Z2 adjacent, and on the end next the hopperon a small projection coming from the bottom of the side of the hopper,the object of this box is to prevent the clay from spreading; and keepstherein clay,' and gives an opportunity for the pressing roller, to fillthe molds more completely, should the molds pass from under the hopperwithout being so. The knife f before mentioned is placed on the outsideof this case and cuts off from the top of the mold all superfluities.

Rising from the rim, on the hopper, and adjacent to the pressing rolleris a scraper g, (seen at the end in Fig. l) reaching over to thepressing roller aforesaid, so that should any clay be sticking to theperiphery of the roller, this scraper frees it, and causes the clay tofall over into the hopper. The movable pistons are of metal or othersuitable material, they are in size the area of the mold and have a rodattached to them, which projects downward through and below thehorizontal wheel C and are each acted upon bythe cam or rail road Pdescribedhereafter, so as to raise up and throw out the brick from themolds. The cam or railroad P is made of any metal required, it is placedunder the horizontal wheel C adjacent to thefiirst band wheel H.

The railroad is shaped like a segment the summit of` which is nearestthe horizontal wheel C, one end of the said segment is supported byanupright resting on the bed plate L where this upright and segment unite,it is rounded oil', and a roller 1 is there placed in a mortise preparedfor it-the object of this roller is to ease the ascent of the piston,where the rod of which comes in contact with the railroad. The other endof the railroad can be brought as near as We please to the horizontalWheel by a set screw under it, Which screw is supported on the uprightadjacent. The knife f is composed of two parts, one vertical as j, theother horizontal as f Fig. 5.-at right angles to one another and made ofsuitable materialthe horizontal part f is placed over the Wheel C. TheWhole is attached to the hinge T before described in Figs. l and 5.Should the clay choke up the apertures mentioned in the bottom of themolds the clay can be removed by a rod.

Operation: The clay being Well tempered is put into the hopper B, thedriving shaft D is put in motion by any sort of power Whether horse orsteam, and gives a motion to the horizontal Wheel C, the molds under thehopper are filled with clay by the superincumbent Weight of clay aboveand by the aid of the cams F the molds thus filled are carried forwardand the clay pressed home by means of the stationary pressing roller Eunder which they pass, the knife f cuts off any superfluous clay on thetop of the mold, after which the piston rod comes in contact With therailroad P below, and starts the brick from the mold, and When itarrives at the summit of the road is entirely set free from the mold andthe guide Gr directs it on the band N of the band Wheels, to Whe-re itmay be Wanted, and before the empty mold can be retted, it passes underthe cluster F to be cleaned.

What We claim as our invention and improvement and which We desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The rotary horizontal Wheel C, in combination With the duster F.

2. The box or casing, around the bottom of the pressing wheel incombination With the horizontal Wheel C, and hopper B, in the manner setforth.

3. The combination of the horizontal Wheel C with the cams F F in thebottom of the hopper B, the said cams having attached to them a'knife I,inside the hopper, and a Weight or lever Gr outside of the same.

4. We claim also the manner of combining the pressing roller With thehopper B in the manner described viz., by arranging said roller on theoutside of the hopper and connecting it with the same by means of thecasing surrounding said roller as set forth.

VALDBEN BEACH. EPHRAIM LUKENS.

Witnesses:

JAs. S. WHITE,

WILLIAM EIOHELBERGER.

